FMG Protest Intensifies, Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Stands Firm on NMC-Mandated Internship Norms

Vijayawada: Amid the ongoing protests by the foreign medical graduates in Andhra Pradesh demanding issuance of permanent registrations, the Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (APMC) has reaffirmed that it is duly following the guidelines issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) regarding the issuance of permanent registration certificates to the FMGs in the State.

Speaking to the media in Vijayawada on Friday, APMC Chairman Dr D Sree Hari Rao addressed the issues faced by the FMG students and clarified that APMC was following all the rules, public notices, and instructions issued by the Apex Medical Commission.

The FMGs who passed the screening exam- Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE), conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) need to undergo a 12-month internship to be eligible to get permanent registration.

However, the duration of the internship is more than one year if the medical graduates from abroad pursued their courses via online mode during the COVID-19 pandemic or the Russia-Ukraine war. As per the existing guidelines, the FMGs who pursued their final year of the course through online mode are required to complete a two-year internship (12 months of internship and 12 months of clerkship).

In the case of FMGs who completed both their pre-final and final year MBBS courses through online mode from India, they are required to undergo a three-year internship (12 months of internship and 24 months of clerkship).

Also Read: Tension Escalates as FMGs Protest Enters Fifth Day in Andhra

Reiterating these guidelines, the APMC Chairman told the media on Friday, "Those FMGs who completed an MBBS course completely offline, where they studied and who came back to India due to Covid-19 or the Ukraine war and later went back and finished their course were allotted a one-year internship. Whereas FMGs who came back to India and studied online and did not compensate for their online classes period with offline classes were allotted a two-year internship."

"However, the NMC issued fresh guidelines in November 2023 and December 2023 stating that FMGs who returned and studied the penultimate year and final year online from India have to do two years of clerkship to compensate for their loss of clinical training, followed by one year of internship to make up for offline training. Accordingly, orders were issued to principals of all medical colleges to communicate the same to the FMGs," he explained, the Times of India has reported.

The APMC Chairman also noted that some of the medical graduates from abroad did not want to do the second-year internship and filed a plea in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

"The high court magistrate, after hearing the plea, gave a judgement that all the rules issued by the govt of India and the national medical commission should be followed regarding online and offline study, and the compensation certificate submitted by the FMGs has no merit and dismissed the case," he added.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that hundreds of FMGs in Andhra Pradesh were on a hunger strike over APMC's continuous delay in issuing permanent registration. They alleged that the APMC registrar was ignoring the official NMC guidelines and creating unofficial obstacles to deny them their professional licenses.

Several of the protesting graduates alleged that, although they have cleared all required examinations and met all eligibility criteria as mandated by the NMC, they remain blocked from joining the healthcare workforce.

According to the protesting FMGs, the extra-duration internships were being enforced inconsistently and without justification. They claimed that they have already compensated for their online training, and last year, NMC had specified that FMGs who have sufficient compensated classes in physical mode for their online classes and thereafter passed the FMGE test, would be eligible to get permanent registration after undergoing internship for one year only.

AP JUDA Supports FMGs Fights for Justice:

The Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (APJUDA) has extended its support to the protesting FMGs in Andhra Pradesh. The association expressed its concern at the undue delay in granting Permanent Registrations (PR) to almost 500 Foreign Medical Graduates of Andhra Pradesh.

Most of these FMGs underwent one-year or two-year internships according to the APMC regulations, and waiting for PR for more than 13 months, highlighted the association.

"While a new APMC Council headed by a new Chairman was constituted three months ago and has expressed willingness to look into this issue, the same is still pending. One major administrative concern seems to be that the Registrar's office is taking much time to initiate the process and shortlist the eligible candidates for granting PRs to FMGs according to NMC Norms," AP JUDA mentioned in the Press Release.

The association also addressed the police intervention during the peaceful protest organized by the FMGs on Doctors' Day. It mentioned in the release, "On July 1, 2025, National Doctors' Day—a day set aside to celebrate the passion and service of the medical fraternity—FMGs organized a peaceful and silent protest at Vijayawada to bring focus to their plight. It is deplorable that the said gathering was interrupted by objections from the local police. APJUDA sincerely raises concerns regarding how the protest was dealt with. That these young physicians, encountered opposition and humiliation on a day that is supposed to honor their service is truly regrettable."

"APJUDA welcomes and appreciates the positive intentions of the present APMC Chairman in dealing with FMG representatives positively and also anticipates the Registrar will take immediate and appropriate steps to issue PRs to all eligible FMGs, as is being done in other states. We stand in solidarity with these graduates and look forward to a timely and fair resolution," AP JUDA further added in the release.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav has urged the FMGs to withdraw their protests and attend their duties, complete their internship and clerkship period as per the NMC guidelines.

He also urged the students to cooperate with the Government until a clarification is obtained either from the High Court or from the NMC, as per the APMC committee will be personally visiting Delhi exclusively to discuss the prevailing issues of the FMGs pertaining to the issuance of Permanent Registration certificates to the medical graduates from abroad. Between 2023 and 2025, APMC issued permanent registration certificates to 253 FMGs after they completed a 12-month clerkship and a 12-month internship.

Also Read: Andhra FMGs on Hunger Strike Over delay in Permanent Registrations